“You’re going to hell, Jack Nightingale”: They are words that ended his police career. Now Jack’s a struggling private detective – and the chilling words come back to haunt him. Nightingale’s life is turned upside down the day that he inherits a mansion from a man who claims to be his father. It comes with a warning that Nightingale’s soul was sold at birth and a devil will come to claim it on his 33rd birthday – just three weeks away.

4 out of 5 stars

Kept my attention

By
Uber Femme
on
08-12-10

Cursed

By:
Stephen Leather

Narrated by:
Paul Thornley

Length: 1 hr and 32 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
8

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
8

Story

4 out of 5 stars
8

Jack Nightingale - lives in the shadows, fights in the dark. Ex-cop turned private eye Jack Nightingale is used to dealing with tricky situations. He's faced down the powers of hell a couple of times, too. In this new short story, he's called in to help a policeman who's lying at death's door. The doctors can't work out what's wrong. But the dying man's colleagues swear blind that he was cursed by a gypsy during the Dale Farm clearance. And Nightingale could be his only hope.

Inspector Hobbes and the Blood

Unhuman, Book 1

By:
Wilkie Martin

Narrated by:
Tim Campbell

Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
520

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
487

Story

4 out of 5 stars
486

Set in a small Cotswold town,
Inspector Hobbes and the Blood is a fast-paced comedy cozy mystery fantasy about the adventures of Andy, an incompetent reporter, when he is reluctantly working with Inspector Hobbes, a police detective with a reputation. Andy soon finds himself immersed in a world where not everyone is human, and a late-night visit to a churchyard nearly results in grave consequences, and a ghoulish outcome. An accidental fire leads to Andy having to doss in Hobbes's spare room.

4 out of 5 stars

A more realistic and mundane supernatural story

By
Ravin
on
01-20-18

Justice Redeemed

By:
Scott Pratt

Narrated by:
Nick Podehl

Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
2,288

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
2,008

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
2,000

Two years ago, Darren Street made a name for himself as the man who rooted out corruption in the district attorney's office. Now the hotheaded young lawyer is in the public eye yet again - this time, accused of murder. Jalen Jordan retained Street for what seemed to be a minor traffic violation, but when evidence turned up linking Jordan to the death of two boys, Street wanted out of the case.

4 out of 5 stars

Power In The Hands of Dishonest Prosecutors

By
R. Pontiflet
on
04-01-16

The Chinaman

By:
Stephen Leather

Narrated by:
Russell Boulter

Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
117

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
88

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
87

Jungle-skilled, silent, and lethal, he had killed for the Viet Cong and then for the Americans. He had watched helpless as his two eldest daughters were raped and killed by Thai pirates. Now, all that was behind him. Quiet, hard-working, and unassuming, he was building up his South London take-away business - until the day his wife and youngest daughter were murdered by an IRA bomb. That was when the Chinaman, denied justice, decided on revenge...and went back to war.

4 out of 5 stars

Great plot idea, but...

By
Robert
on
08-11-07

Inspector Hobbes and the Curse

Unhuman, Book 2

By:
Wilkie Martin

Narrated by:
Tim Campbell

Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
213

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
200

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
198

Set in the Cotswolds, this is the next instalment in the adventures of Inspector Hobbes, Mrs Goodfellow, and Dregs, as narrated by the still disaster-prone Andy Caplet. It is a rip roaring, funny, and moving tale of Andy's infatuation with a dangerously beautiful woman, starting off during investigations into sheep deaths and the mysterious disappearance of pheasants. These incidents appear to be connected to a rash of big cat sightings, and something horrible seems to be lurking in the woods. Is Andy cursed to be always unsuccessful in love, or is the curse something much darker, something that will arouse his primeval terrors?

4 out of 5 stars

A paranormal comedy that's entertaining &amp; exciting

By
AudioBook Reviewer
on
12-22-17

Nightfall

A Jack Nightingale Supernatural Thriller

By:
Stephen Leather

Narrated by:
Paul Thornley

Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
108

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
81

Story

4 out of 5 stars
80

“You’re going to hell, Jack Nightingale”: They are words that ended his police career. Now Jack’s a struggling private detective – and the chilling words come back to haunt him. Nightingale’s life is turned upside down the day that he inherits a mansion from a man who claims to be his father. It comes with a warning that Nightingale’s soul was sold at birth and a devil will come to claim it on his 33rd birthday – just three weeks away.

4 out of 5 stars

Kept my attention

By
Uber Femme
on
08-12-10

Cursed

By:
Stephen Leather

Narrated by:
Paul Thornley

Length: 1 hr and 32 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
8

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
8

Story

4 out of 5 stars
8

Jack Nightingale - lives in the shadows, fights in the dark. Ex-cop turned private eye Jack Nightingale is used to dealing with tricky situations. He's faced down the powers of hell a couple of times, too. In this new short story, he's called in to help a policeman who's lying at death's door. The doctors can't work out what's wrong. But the dying man's colleagues swear blind that he was cursed by a gypsy during the Dale Farm clearance. And Nightingale could be his only hope.

Inspector Hobbes and the Blood

Unhuman, Book 1

By:
Wilkie Martin

Narrated by:
Tim Campbell

Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
520

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
487

Story

4 out of 5 stars
486

Set in a small Cotswold town,
Inspector Hobbes and the Blood is a fast-paced comedy cozy mystery fantasy about the adventures of Andy, an incompetent reporter, when he is reluctantly working with Inspector Hobbes, a police detective with a reputation. Andy soon finds himself immersed in a world where not everyone is human, and a late-night visit to a churchyard nearly results in grave consequences, and a ghoulish outcome. An accidental fire leads to Andy having to doss in Hobbes's spare room.

4 out of 5 stars

A more realistic and mundane supernatural story

By
Ravin
on
01-20-18

Justice Redeemed

By:
Scott Pratt

Narrated by:
Nick Podehl

Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
2,288

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
2,008

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
2,000

Two years ago, Darren Street made a name for himself as the man who rooted out corruption in the district attorney's office. Now the hotheaded young lawyer is in the public eye yet again - this time, accused of murder. Jalen Jordan retained Street for what seemed to be a minor traffic violation, but when evidence turned up linking Jordan to the death of two boys, Street wanted out of the case.

4 out of 5 stars

Power In The Hands of Dishonest Prosecutors

By
R. Pontiflet
on
04-01-16

The Chinaman

By:
Stephen Leather

Narrated by:
Russell Boulter

Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
117

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
88

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
87

Jungle-skilled, silent, and lethal, he had killed for the Viet Cong and then for the Americans. He had watched helpless as his two eldest daughters were raped and killed by Thai pirates. Now, all that was behind him. Quiet, hard-working, and unassuming, he was building up his South London take-away business - until the day his wife and youngest daughter were murdered by an IRA bomb. That was when the Chinaman, denied justice, decided on revenge...and went back to war.

4 out of 5 stars

Great plot idea, but...

By
Robert
on
08-11-07

Inspector Hobbes and the Curse

Unhuman, Book 2

By:
Wilkie Martin

Narrated by:
Tim Campbell

Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
213

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
200

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
198

Set in the Cotswolds, this is the next instalment in the adventures of Inspector Hobbes, Mrs Goodfellow, and Dregs, as narrated by the still disaster-prone Andy Caplet. It is a rip roaring, funny, and moving tale of Andy's infatuation with a dangerously beautiful woman, starting off during investigations into sheep deaths and the mysterious disappearance of pheasants. These incidents appear to be connected to a rash of big cat sightings, and something horrible seems to be lurking in the woods. Is Andy cursed to be always unsuccessful in love, or is the curse something much darker, something that will arouse his primeval terrors?

4 out of 5 stars

A paranormal comedy that's entertaining &amp; exciting

By
AudioBook Reviewer
on
12-22-17

The Supernaturals

By:
David L. Golemon

Narrated by:
Stephen R. Thorne

Length: 16 hrs and 27 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
589

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
550

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
547

Seven years ago Professor Gabriel Kennedy's investigation into paranormal activity at Summer Place ended in tragedy and destroyed his career. Now Kelly Delaphoy, the ambitious producer of a top-rated ghost-hunting television series, is determined to make Summer Place the centerpiece of an epic live broadcast on Halloween night. To ensure success she needs help from the one man who has come face-to-face with the evil that dwells in Summer Place, a man still haunted by the ghosts of his own failure.

5 out of 5 stars

A Review for Anybody Who Owns the Previous Version

By
Jessica's Bookshelf
on
11-04-16

Blood Bath

By:
Stephen Leather

Narrated by:
Paul Thornley

Length: 1 hr and 26 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
8

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
8

Story

4 out of 5 stars
8

Supernatural detective Jack Nightingale is called in to investigate a series of bloody deaths in a struggling Brighton hotel. The suicides of six women in room six is too much of a coincidence for Nightingale and he is soon on the trail of a bloodthirsty demon.

Midnight Riot

Peter Grant, Book 1

By:
Ben Aaronovitch

Narrated by:
Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
4,405

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
4,039

Story

4 out of 5 stars
4,033

Probationary constable Peter Grant dreams of being a detective in London's Metropolitan Police. Too bad his superior plans to assign him to the Case Progression Unit, where the biggest threat he'll face is a paper cut. But Peter's prospects change in the aftermath of a puzzling murder, when he gains exclusive information from an eyewitness who happens to be a ghost. Peter's ability to speak with the lingering dead brings him to the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale....

5 out of 5 stars

I LOVE this Book!

By
Nancy J
on
02-26-13

Storm Front

The Dresden Files, Book 1

By:
Jim Butcher

Narrated by:
James Marsters

Length: 8 hrs and 1 min

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
32,525

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
27,956

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
27,925

A call from a distraught wife, and another from Lt. Murphy of the Chicago PD Special Investigation Unit makes Harry believe things are looking up, but they are about to get worse, much worse. Someone is harnessing immense supernatural forces to commit a series of grisly murders. Someone has violated the first law of magic: Thou Shalt Not Kill. Tracking that someone takes Harry into the dangerous underbelly of Chicago, from mobsters to vampires....

5 out of 5 stars

Excellent listen and a great start to the series

By
Donna
on
07-13-09

Johannes Cabal The Necromancer

By:
Jonathan L. Howard

Narrated by:
Christopher Cazenove

Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,839

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,533

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,537

Johannes Cabal, a brilliant scientist and notorious snob, is single-mindedly obsessed in heart and soul with raising the dead. Well, perhaps not soul... He hastily sold his years ago in order to learn the laws of necromancy. But now, tormented by a dark secret, he travels to the fiery pits of Hell to retrieve it. Satan, who is incredibly bored these days, proposes a little wager: Johannes has one year to persuade 100 people to sign over their souls or he will be damned forever.

5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely wonderful narrator

By
Ruth
on
10-30-09

My Name Is Lydia

By:
Stephen Leather

Narrated by:
Paul Thornley

Length: 1 hr and 11 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
7

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
6

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
6

Business has been slow for Jack Nightingale, but an appointment with a Catholic priest leads to an interesting new case. Eleven-year-old Christine Warren has been showing worrying signs of developing an alternate personality, who goes by the name of Lydia. It's up to Nightingale to find out whether she's been possessed, or if there's something more to Lydia....

Silent Scream

Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller, Book 1

By:
Angela Marsons

Narrated by:
Jan Cramer

Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
2,174

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,987

Story

4 out of 5 stars
1,986

Five figures gather 'round a shallow grave. They had all taken turns to dig. An adult-sized hole would have taken longer. An innocent life had been taken, but the pact had been made. Their secrets would be buried, bound in blood. Years later a headmistress is found brutally strangled, the first in a spate of gruesome murders that shock the Black Country.

5 out of 5 stars

Superb story and wonderful performance!

By
David J Delaney
on
02-21-16

The Short Drop

By:
Matthew FitzSimmons

Narrated by:
James Patrick Cronin

Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
7,134

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
6,417

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
6,403

A decade ago, fourteen-year-old Suzanne Lombard, the daughter of Benjamin Lombard - then a senator, now a powerful vice president running for the presidency - disappeared in the most sensational missing-person case in the nation's history. Still unsolved, the mystery remains a national obsession. For legendary hacker and marine Gibson Vaughn, the case is personal - Suzanne Lombard had been like a sister to him.

5 out of 5 stars

Hidden gem hiding among all the generic crap

By
Justin Messer
on
12-27-15

The Handyman

By:
Bentley Little

Narrated by:
Chris Andrew Ciulla

Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
805

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
753

Story

3.5 out of 5 stars
752

Daniel Martin has never forgotten his childhood encounters with Frank Watkins, the man who built his family a summer home out of cardboard and plywood. Frank's gaze was oddly confusing, as if he was attempting to discern the proper way to behave because he didn't know how to respond in a human manner. Since Frank obviously wasn't an alien, young Daniel thought maybe the man was crazy. In the end, Daniel would learn the terrifying truth about Frank Watkins. And as an adult, Daniel is about to discover there are more of them out there.

5 out of 5 stars

Little is back!

By
JuniorLo
on
02-08-18

The Jekyll Revelation

By:
Robert Masello

Narrated by:
Christopher Lane

Length: 13 hrs and 27 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
2,357

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
2,170

Story

4 out of 5 stars
2,171

While on routine patrol in the tinder-dry Topanga Canyon, environmental scientist Rafael Salazar expects to find animal poachers, not a dilapidated antique steamer trunk. Inside the peculiar case, he discovers a journal, written by the renowned Robert Louis Stevenson, which divulges ominous particulars about his creation of
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It also promises to reveal a terrible secret - the identity of Jack the Ripper.

4 out of 5 stars

pleasantly surprised

By
Genevieve Paquette
on
04-17-17

The Sick House

The Ulrich Files, Book 1

By:
Ambrose Ibsen

Narrated by:
Jake Urry

Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
236

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
218

Story

4 out of 5 stars
217

Dr. Siegfried Klein has vanished on a mysterious pilgrimage to an abandoned infirmary in the ghost-town of Moonville. The locals in the surrounding areas are tight-lipped, hostile to outsiders. Local legend has it that the old Sick House is packed with spirits, none of them friendly, and that to set foot in it is to enter Hell itself.

4 out of 5 stars

Grossly Enjoyable Reading

By
Sandra L. Almo
on
04-28-16

Play Dead

Elise Sandburg, Book 1

By:
Anne Frasier

Narrated by:
Natalie Ross

Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
1,875

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
1,654

Story

4 out of 5 stars
1,634

No one is more familiar with Savannah's dark side than homicide detective and native resident Elise Sandburg. She's been haunted for years by her own mysterious past: She was abandoned as a baby in one of the city's ancient cemeteries, and it’s rumored that she is the illegitimate daughter of an infamous Savannah witch doctor. The local Gullah culture of voodoo and magic is one that few outsiders can understand, least of all Elise’s new partner.

4 out of 5 stars

Fun listen

By
Carol & Mike Doran
on
03-24-15

Publisher's Summary

When a murdered young girl miraculously returns to life saying she's spoken to God, it's clear that sinister forces are at play. And when those who speak to her inexplicably commit suicide shortly afterwards, Nightingale is called in. He discovers a demon has possessed the girl's body…and the only way to banish it is to kill her.

And that's not all he has to deal with. After a farmer kills eight people before turning the gun on himself, the press label him as a Satanist. But when his brother visits Nightingale claiming his sibling has been set up, it seems there might be more to the case. Can Nightingale discover the real reason for the murderous rampage and keep himself out of danger?

Pretty good thriller

I enjoyed the first three books in the Nightingale series better than this one. But this one was also pretty good and had some neat ideas in it. It is kind of a reboot from the first three books where Nightingale gets to live his life over again and is once again faced by a demon, however in this book it is a shade that he is dealing with. A young girl is kidnapped and abused to the point of being killed opening her up for and evil entity to move into her body with an evil agenda. What Nightingale must have to do to confront her is a horrible thing to even think about. Mrs. Stedman remakes an appearance to help guide Mr. Nightingale along. Jenny is also present in this book but has a very minor rule which kind of disappointed me. Paul Thornley does a very good job with the narration however his voice tends to go into a monotone at times and made me start to drift off. But overall he did A good job bringing the characters to life.

Horrible new narrator to this series

Ralph Lister used to read this series and he was brilliant. He did the voices and read in an engaging way. This new guy for this book reads in a clipped boring tone that is really making me want to not finish this book :( I may return the, and read them myself on kindle.

Horrible. Why didn't the author leave well enough alone.

0 of 2 people found this review helpful

Sort by:

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

3 out of 5 stars

Amazon Customer

06-03-13

Double Troubles

Book 4 in the series; the plot 'progresses' from the end of Nightmare. A series that very much has to be consumed in proper sequence. It deals with the concurrent investigations into the aftermath of a School spree killing with Satanic overtones in the Berwick area and the aftermath of a child abduction. In neither case are things as they seem.

The Good:Two interesting investigations; the Berwick thread in particular was fascinating and very topical in it's underlying subject matter. It also played with pre-conceptions nicely.with a couple of red herrings suitably strewn about

The narration was good and especially when the narrator was doing the 'supernatural' voices quite creepy.

There is a real sense of menace and unease in the Child Abduction investigation.

Very good use of the prologue in creating suspense as to how the dots are going to be filled in.

The BadAfter the equivalent of a plot car hitting a wall ending of Nightmare; the 'progress' was actually less jarring than I'd expected. There is however yet another mini 'Deus Ex' at the end.

The 'Demon Summoning/Dealing' element that played a major part in the first three was a lot lot less than in previous novels and what there was seemed forced in rather than for any real purpose.

The two investigations seemed super glued together into the one book. I appreciate there is doubtless a contrast between what was actually happening as opposed to appearing to in each but at times it felt like each was being slightly compressed. It felt more like soup and a sandwich than a steak and chips .

OverallThere's perhaps an element of the story arc and narrative stumbling in a state of concussed shock after the way Nightmare ended but it seemed the weakest of the four so far. The 'Wow' factor of the first three is absent. That said however taken on it's own the investigations are interesting and for a fan of the series well worth a listen; hopefully a pause for breath before a stronger Book 5.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Tim

06-27-13

A welcome return to form

I have listened to all the Jack Nightingale stories and enjoyed them all, except the third one which resorted to a deus ex machina ending which was irritating and lazy....Anyway this book is a welcome return to black magic and Jack's fairly dumb decisions.

Well written and well narrated its a fun, no brain needed, horror lite book that I will almost certainly listen to again.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

4 out of 5 stars

stephen

07-27-13

Another good read

I thoroughly enjoy Jack Nightingale's character and have looked forward to this book.So much so that I couldn't put it down till the end.Once again the author draw's you in to a web of intrigue that has you reaching for the book at the slightest opportunity.In my opinion not quite as good as the first book's but still a worthy addition that leave's you wanting more.Recommended.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Overall

3 out of 5 stars

Performance

4 out of 5 stars

Story

3 out of 5 stars

Colette

07-04-13

Found the subject matter a bit too difficult.

I've really enjoyed the other Jack Nightingale book and eagerly downloaded the latest. As usual, it's engagingly written and I like the protagonists but the subject matter made it difficult for me to truly enjoy it. It's very well read and the narrator does a great job with the different accents in the story. I listened to the end and was quite glad when I got there.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Ails

06-16-13

Scaringly good

I was gripped from the first syllable that Paul Thornley uttered right until the end when Audible hoped I had enjoyed the recording. I thought that there were only going to be three Jack Nightingale books so was delighted when this one appeared..

Stephen Leather weaves his magic into the story it twists and turns all the time and at times I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

A Farmer in Berwick walks into a school and shoots eight children and a teacher, then turns the gun on himself what drove him to do it ..?

This book kept spinning around in my head for days after I had finished it. Can't recommend it highly enough- one of the best books I've listened to this year.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Performance

4 out of 5 stars

Story

4 out of 5 stars

Chris

07-15-18

Good Read

cracking story but i thoght the end could have been better and loose ends not covered from the last book?

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Performance

4 out of 5 stars

Story

3 out of 5 stars

Ken

06-25-18

Felt a little cheated!

Good but identical to others in the series, you ask yourself is the author cheating by using the the same material as its worked before.Really time to stop repeating old lines used so many times before.Still above all that it’s a good listen.

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

2 out of 5 stars

jessiemillar

01-17-18

nightshade review

This book maintains the excellent writing and fast pace you expect from Stephen Leather. The story line although is very disturbing as it involves the murder of children and child rape. At times it was uncomfortable to listen too.

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

A J S

12-01-17

Hard to listen to at times but worth it.

Another great Jack Nightingale book that I couldn’t stop listening to.

Whilst hard going at times due to the nature of the storyline content and the brilliant narration, the story flows well, and kept me entertained until the last chapter.

Having listened to the whole series so far, these would make an excellent TV show/Movie. The characters are likeable and you do find yourself rooting for them to succeed.

On to the next.

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Richard Byrne

08-10-17

Eery...haunting and uncomfortable!

Breath-takenly paced with tomes of harsh reality...twisted with supernatural grasping, undercurrents which pull the reader further into the believable ...to then surface into the unthinkable...Stephen Leather is a thoroughly unique writer whom challenges a plethora of topics.